Dallas Cowboys Blog

Brandon Carr among six things to watch in tonight’s Cowboys-Raiders game

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Cowboys will play the first of their four preseason games at 7 tonight at the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football.

Oakland, which leads the all-time preseason series against the Cowboys, 18-9, is now coached by Dennis Allen, who played college football at Texas A&M and high school football at Hurst L.D. Bell. This will be his Oakland debut. He’s the youngest coach in the NFL at 39 years old.

But enough about the Raiders. Let’s get to the Cowboys. Dallas won’t play its starters very long, probably just one or two series. Fourteen players didn’t make the trip to Oakland because of injuries. Wide receiver Dez Bryant did travel with the team to Oakland despite a tight hamstring, but there’s no reason to risk his health in the first preseason game. That’s especially true considering Miles Austin is already out with a strained hamstring.

To get you ready for tonight’s preseason opener, here are six things to watch out for:

1. Who emerges in the race for the No. 3 WR spot?: This is the biggest battle in training camp right now, and it’s more about just the No. 3 wide receiver spot. Players are competing for the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 wide receiver spots on this roster. Wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson has maintained that Kevin Ogletree has a slight lead for the No. 3 wide receiver job, but that’s more about experience than performance. Keep an eye on 6-4 receiver Andre Holmes. The Cowboys love his upside. Holmes struggled to catch the football early in camp but has come on of late. Also, watch out for SMU product Cole Beasley. He continues to get open and make tough catches from the slot position. McKinney North product Raymond Radway needs a big preseason game. He has struggled the last few days of training camp but has the talent to make some big plays and put himself back in the race to make the final roster.

2. How does the interior of the offensive line hold up?: The interior of the offensive line was one of the Cowboys’ biggest problem areas a year ago. They thought they had fixed the leak, signing free agent guards Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau in free agency. But both players have been slowed by injuries (Livings won’t play tonight). Additionally, the biggest problem in training camp practices so far has been snapping the football to the quarterback. Starting center Phil Costa won’t play tonight with a back injury and reserve centers Bill Nagy and Kevin Kowalski are out with injuries. That has pushed guard David Arkin over to center, and he’s never played the position. Arkin has snapped several balls over the head of the quarterback and it’s been a constant issue, even in walkthroughs. Arkin is likely to start tonight and get the most work at center, so that’s an area to watch. Also, take a look at offensive guard Ronald Leary tonight. The Cowboys like him and brought him in as an undrafted rookie free agent.

3. How does the secondary look, led by CB Brandon Carr?: One of the bright spots during training camp practices has been the play of cornerback Brandon Carr, who the Cowboys signed via free agency for $50.1 million. Carr is a shutdown, press cornerback who excels in one-on-one coverage. He’ll play a series or two tonight and it’s worth watching him, especially when he’s in press coverage. First-round pick Morris Claiborne won’t play against the Raiders. His preseason debut will likely come at San Diego next week, and Mike Jenkins is still out with his shoulder injury. But watch out for new starting safety Barry Church. He did enough early in camp that the Cowboys cut free agent signee Brodney Pool. Church has been another bright spot early in training camp. He excels near the line of scrimmage, but the question mark for him is whether he can be good enough in coverage over the back end of the secondary.

4. Will it be Bruce Carter or Dan Connor who takes the lead to start at inside linebacker alongside Sean Lee?: Second-year linebacker Bruce Carter will likely start tonight at Oakland, and the Cowboys want him to win the starting inside linebacker job alongside Sean Lee. But the Cowboys also signed Dan Connor in the off-season via free agency, and he has chemistry with Lee considering they played together at Penn State. Keep an eye on who has a better game at that inside linebacker spot between Carter and Connor. Carter didn’t play much last season because he missed the first half of the year still recovering from surgery he had in college. Carter and Connor have been very solid during training camp.

5. Who takes the lead for the No. 3 QB job?: The Cowboys could end up keeping only two quarterbacks on the roster, Tony Romo and new backup Kyle Orton. However, if the Cowboys go with three quarterbacks as they did last year, will it be Stephen McGee or Rudy Carpenter. Both are expected to see action tonight at Oakland. McGee has been the Cowboys’ third-string quarterback the last few years but is entering the last season of his contract. He could be on his way out now that the team signed Carpenter in the off-season. McGee has struggled in training camp practices, and Carpenter hasn’t blown anyone away. But if the Cowboys keep a third quarterback, do they go with McGee, who they already know what he can do and aren’t sure what more he can give them, or Carpenter, who arguably could have more upside?

6. Does someone do something on special teams that helps him make the final roster?: One of the key factors to deciding the last few players on the Cowboys’ final 53-man roster is how the players performed on special teams. The final few players to make the roster will be reserves who have more of a chance to impact the game on special teams. That means that each player pushing for one of those final roster spots needs to open some coaches’ eyes with a great effort on special teams during preseason games. Look for little Cole Beasley to get some action on returns. If he breaks one it will help him in his push to make the final roster at the receiver spot. In the end, Cowboys coaches will be going to special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and asking him who can help him the most on special teams and the players he names will likely be the final ones on the 53-man roster.